The Printing of Munshi Abdullah's Edition of theSejarah Me/ayu in Singapore

Ibrahim bin Ismail*

Abstrak: Edisi bercetak pertama Sejarah Melayu diusahakan oleh Munsyi Abdullah di Singapura. Butir-butir bibliografi lain mengenai buku ini kurang diketahui umum kerana tidak disebutkan di dalambuku tersebut. Dari kajian salinan foto dan salinan mikrofilem buku ini yang ada di Perpustakaan Uni-versiti Malaya, disertakan dengan beberapa butir maklumat dan keterangan dari sumber-sumber lain,dapatlah kita mengolahkan suatu gambaran yang lebih jelas lagi lengkap mengenai latar belakang pe-nerbitannya. Kajian ini juga bertujuan menyatakan bahawa tarikh percetakan buku ini yang sebenar-nya bukanlah 1831 tetapi sepuluh tahun kemudian, laitu 1840 atau 1841.

More than any other classic of the Malay world,the Sejarah Melayu has captured the interest ofscholars and laymen since the beginning of the nine-teenth century. The number of manuscripts in whichthis text is preserved in libraries in Europe, Indonesia,Malaysia and other countries; the translations of it orparts of it into English, French and German; thevarious editions of it that have been published; thenumerous studies and publications on it both inmonographic form and in periodicals; its use as a textin secondary school examinations; bear testimony toits Importance.' It is ironical that this classic has yetto be made available in an authoritative version basedupon all extant copies of manuscripts and in the lightof present day knowledge of Malay philology. Thestudent's primary text is the edition by W.G. Shella-bear published in jawi in 1896 and republished inseveral editions since in the Roman script.

Amongst Shellabear's sources for his work was aprinted edition of the Sejarah Melayu produced byMunshi Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir. Shellabear in hispreface to the original of his j awi edition of 1896 hasthis to say about Abdullah's edition:

Next to the above [i.e. john Leyden's translationof the Sejarah Melayu published in London in theyear 1821] in point of date is the Malay textwhich is generally believed to have been printed inSingapore, probably at the Mission Press. The onlycopy of this edition to which I have had access isthe one in the Logan Library at Singapore, whichis without either date, imprint, or title page. Thereis however, a lengthy preface in Malay, which com-mences, "These are the words of the gentlemen ofSingapore who desire to spread the knowledge ofthe Malay language," and further on it is stated

• National Collection Division, University of Malaya Library

Kekal Abadi,5(3) September 1986.

that "the gentlemen who superintend the schoolsestablished in the town of Singapore by TuanRaffles, for imparting instruction in the Malaylanguage and other subjects, are in search of Malaybooks," etc. The editor of an edition of the Seja-rah Meloyu printed in Holland, which I shall haveoccasion to notice later on, has reproduced thispreface, but has carefully omitted those parts inthe passages quoted above which refer to Singa-pore! The heading of the preface is made to read:"These are the words of Abdullah bin AbdulkadirMunshi, who desires," etc., and the second of thetwo passages is similarly mutilated. The Dutcheditor is, however, probably correct in attributingthe preface to Abdullah, and it bears internalevidence of being the work of one man, to whomthe duty of editing has been entrusted. But whenwe come to enquire into material which was at thedisposal of Abdullah for preparing and correctinghis text, we find only a long dissertation in thepreface on the methods of textual criticism andthe advantages of "comparing the book which isbeing copied with two or three others" and thenthe vague statement - "this is the way in which Ihave corrected this text as well as I could."judging from the type in which this Singaporeedition was printed, and from the quality of theprinting, I am inclined to fix the date of itspublication several years subsequent to the 1831edition of the New Testament, which was alsoprinted at the Mission Press, Singapore. The textof this old Singapore edition has ever since beenconsidered as the standard.

However in the Malay translation of this preface inthe Oxford University Press edition of 1967 and the

13

Penerbit Fajar Bakti edition of 1977, the sentenceregarding the date of publication has been translatedas:

Dengan mempertimbangkan huruf-huruf cetakdalam mana edisi Singapura dicetak, dan dari nilaipercetakannya, maka saya cenderong untuk mene-tapkan tanggal terbitnya beberapa tahun sebelum(my italics) edisi Kitob Perjanjian Baru tahun1831, yang juga dicetak di Mission Press, Singa-pura.T.D. Situmorang and A. Teeuw in their preface to

the Romanized version published in 1952 state thatthey have based their work upon Abdullah's editiohpublished in Singapore in 1831 in the Arabic script.?

Aman Dato' Maju Indo in his preface states that hehas based his work on Shellabear's edition of 1895and Abdullah's edition published in 1831.3

R. Roolvink in his 'The variant versions of theMalay Annals' published in c.c. Brown's annotatedtranslation, Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals (KualaLumpur: Oxford University Press, 1970. p. xvi)states that:

The first printed text was that edited by Abdullahbin Abdulkadir Munshi and published in Singaporeabout 1831; republished anonymously (by H.C.Klinkert) in the Netherlands (Leiden) in 1884;later published again in a romanized edition, byTeeuw and Situmorang (Djakarta/Amsterdam) in1952.

What does Abdullah have to say about the matter inhis Hikayat?

Syahdan maka sedikit hari aku di Melaka makakernbalilah pula ke Singapura. Maka ku dapatiTuan North sudah pindah ke Kampung Boyan.Maka di situlah aku dengan Tuan North itu mem-baiki injil Yahya itu dalam Bahasa Melayu lagipunbanyak berselisih daripada asalnya. Maka sebabitulah dibaiki segala dan lagi pula pekerjaankumengecapkan kitab Sejarah Melayu dan lagi berapapula pekerjaan yang lain.4

No dates, but several events which may, if dateable,provide a clue as to the time he was working on the'printing of the Sejarah Melayu',

The above observations confirm the fact that anedition of the Sejarah Melayu was published in Singa-pore by Munshi Abdullah. The date of its publicationhowever has been a subject of academic discussionfrom a positive proposition of 1831 to 'several yearssubsequent to the 1831 edition of the New Testa-ment, which was also printed at the Mission Press,Singapore'. We must bear in mind that Shellabear hadactually seen a copy of this work in Singapore 'with-out either date, imprint, or title page', and his sup-position of its date of publication is based upon acomparative study of the typography in it and a

14

dated publication: The New Testament of Our Lordand Saviour Jesus Christ, in Malay: Revised edition.Second part. Singapore: Printed at the Mission Press,for the British and Foreign Bible Society, 1831.5

Very few copies of the Sejarah Melayu (Abdullah'sedition) are known to exist in public collections. TheUniversity of Malaya Library has acquired photo-copies of it from two places. In 1971, a photocopywas obtained from the Penang Public Library. Thiscopy is imperfect since it lacks all the preliminarypages and begins from page nine. On the last page(p. 368) is a signature which is unidentifiable and thedate April 20th 1857 in manuscript. In 1979 a micro-film copy was obtained from the Library of Congress,Washington, D.C. (SOASIA 055). The Photodupli-cation Service of the Library of Congress included inthe filming an unsigned document of three pageswhich is to be found in the copy of the book. Thisdocument contains information of immense value forthe reconstruction of the circumstances surroundingthe printing of Abdullah's edition of the Sejarah Me-layu. Owing to its importance, the document is here-with reproduced in full.

[p. 1]A Book in the Malayan Language entitled SejaraMalayu, which has been translated by Dr Leyden intoEnglish, the Translation being styled Malay Annals, tobe obtained in London. The Sejara Malayu is a Malayclassic of high reputation throughout the MalayanWorld. It contains ancient traditions & fables blendedwith authentic history. It is supposed to have beencomposed by a Mahomedan about two centuries ago,1640 to 1650. Some of the traditions reach back toa period previous to the conversion of the Malays toMahomedanism. Among other important authenticfacts this book speaks of the Portuguese Conquest ofMalacca. Like nearly all Malayan books the Sejaraexisted only in manuscript until 1841

[p.2]when it was printed in Singapore, at the expense ofThomas MacMicking Esq, under the careful super-intendence of Mr Alfred North, well known as asuperior Malay scholar, assisted by Abdullah, himselfa Malayan author & particularly well skilled in theliterature of his country & people. The Preface by theEditor, Mr North, presents to the Malays the advant-ages of printing over manuscript & the necessity ofcollation. Six MSS. were collated in preparing thisedition. The work has received the encouragement ofthe Trustees of the Singapore Institution & of othersinterested in preserving from extinction a portion ofthe literature of a once heroic but now degeneratepeople. Possibly this is the last work of this

[p.3]kind that will ever be printed, since the Malays them-selves, as with us Europeans (with here & there anexception) are disposed to consign to oblivion &those enemies of civilization in tropical climates, thewhite ants, the many Malay MSS. that still exist. Thenumber of MSS. now remaining may be from a hund-red to two hundred. Some of them are voluminousbut the greater part are small. They are partly originalMalay works throughout as the Sejara & partly trans-lations from the languages of India, from the Javanese& from the Arabic. Those from Arabic relate chieflyto law & religion - the others are tales of wars, com-posed both in prose & verse.

Though unsigned and undated, this document speaksfor itself. Since it is to be found in a copy of thebook under discussion it may be safe to assume thatit is a contemporary document.

Before entering upon a discussion of some aspectsof this document in relation to the printing of theSejarah Melayu, it would help to know how a copyof this book reached the Library of Congress. It wasamongst those purchased in Singapore by AlfredNorth at the request of Captain Charles Wilkes, Com-mander of the United States Exploring Expedition(1838-1842) which reached Singapore in February1842.6 Twenty-one items are included in a document'List of Malay books and Mss purchased by the Rev.A North Singapore for U.S. Ex. Ex. by request ofCapt Wil kes'.? The price against the 'Sajarah Malayu(a printed book)' is $3.00. In another document,'Malay & Buges manuscripts', our subject is stated ashaving been 'printed at expense of a mercantilehouse' in Singapore in 1840.8 These books and manu-scripts were dispatched to the Smithsonian Insti-tution, Washington D.C. They are now in the Libraryof Congress.?

A study of the printing of this book brings to thefore several related features for discussion. Firstly thetext, followed by its editor, the publisher (or correct-ly speaking the financier), the press, the printer, thebook itself, and its date of printing.

The Sejarah Melayu needs very little introductionto students of literature, history and philology.Though most would use the standard editions byShellabear, Winstedt,10 Situmorang and Teeuw,Aman Dato' Maju Indo, and A. Samad Ahrnad.l 'consult Leyden's 12 and C.C. Brown's translations;and the many textbooks on classical Malay literaturein general and special studies on the Sejarah Melayu,the existence of a large number of manuscripts of thistext in public collections needs to be reiterated.13 Astudy of the provenance of a number of these manu-scripts indicates their origins in the Malay Peninsula.14

Abdullah's edition is said to be based on a collationof six rnanuscripts.I>

The editor, Abdullah (not Alfred North), tooneeds very little introduction. Several studies havebeen produced on him based extensively upon hisown magnum opus the Hikayat Abdullah which hecompleted in 1843 and had it printed in 1849.16 Inthe context of the historical bibliography of the Se-jarah Melayu we have to appreciate his place in theliterary world of his time. He was a tutor of theMalay language, translator, copyist and author ofseveral works. He was familiar with books and ex-pounded the importance of reading and learning. Helearned the art of printing when he was associatedwith the missionaries of the London MissionarySociety (LMS) in Melaka.

The publisher or financier of the book, ThomasMacMicking's name appears sporadically in Buckley'sAnecdotal History of Old Times in Singapore(1902) 17 and in association with the Singapore Insti-tution. On 27 August 1835 he was appointed one ofthe five members of the Committee of the SingaporeInstitution, and at the meeting of the Trustees on 5January 1836, he was nominated a Trustee of theSingapore Institution. MacMicking was admitted as apartner in the firm of Syme & Co in November 1835.This firm was commenced in Singapore in 1823 andwas appointed Lloyd's Agents in 1828. His nameappears on the list of merchants of Singapore whopetitioned to the Governor on the question of im-position of duties on Singapore. This petition wasdated 11 January 1836. On 8 February 1837 Mac-Micking was proposed and seconded to be a memberof the Provisional Committee of the SingaporeChamber of Commerce. He became a committeemember on 20 February 1837. That he was an im-portant figure may be seen from the fact that he wasthe chairman of a public meeting called for on 18January 1845 by the Sheriff, Captain Faber, andattended by all the community.

One of the objects of the Singapore Institution,founded in 1823 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles,was 'to collect the scattered literature and traditionsof the country, with whatever may illustrate theirlaws and customs, and to publish and circulate in acorrect form the most important of these, with suchother works as may be calculated to raise the charac-ter of the Institution, and to be useful and instructiveto the people'.18 MacMicking's position as a trusteeof the Institution and his position as a partner in anestablished concern could have well played an irn-portant role in the publishing of the Sejarah Melayuand confirm an earlier note that it was 'printed atexpense of a mercantile house'."?

The press at which the book was printed has a

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history of its own and dates back to the founding ofSingapore.20 Missionaries of the London MissionarySociety (LMS) established a mission at Melaka inMay 1815~ In May 1819, the Reverend William Milne,as ·head of the mission successfully applied to theauthorities in Singapore for the. establishment of astation there. The Reverend Samuel Milton was dis-patched to Singapore in October 1819 to select apiece of ground and to found the mission there.Milton was joined by the Reverend C.H. Thomsen inMay 1822. In January 1823 Thomsen applied for per-mission to establish a printing press. The reply dated23 January 1823, made known that 'the LieutGovernor gives his full sanction to the measure andwill be happy to assist the undertaking, by thepatronage and support of Government as far as cir-cumstances admit'.

The history of the printing press which was esta-bl ished from the date of receipt of permission till theprinting of the Sejoroh Melayu is a complicated one.The LMS did not wish to invest in a printing press inSingapore since a well established Mission Press wasalready in operation in Melaka. The printing enter-prise in Singapore initially was the effort of Thomsenand Milton. Thomsen took with him from Melaka awooden press and a small quantity of Malay typesand Old English types. Two assistants - MunshiAbdullah and a Eurasian lad by the name of Michael- accompanied him. Together they printed in Englishand Malay, did type-cutting, type-founding and book-binding in a small way. Raffles made good use of thisfacility for printing government regulations.

Printing on a large scale required more and largerpresses and founts of types in Roman, Arabic, etc.Milton on his own initiative sailed to Calcutta inDecember 1822 and returned to Singapore on 8 April1823 with a printer, Samuel Roberts, three presses,founts of types in Arabic and Siamese and otherequipment for a printing establishment He wrote tothe LMS stating that he was 'prepared to print at thisstation in five languages, viz. English, Siamese, Malay,Chinese and Arabic'. The whole establishment -building and equipment - cost Milton £2,500. Avery heavy outlay for one person to invest. Miltonwas in heavy debt as the returns on his investmentswould take time to be realized.

The Reverend Robert Morrison in his capacity ashead of the Ultra Ganges Mission of the LMS wasvisiting Melaka and Singapore about the same timeand advised Milton to turn over the printing establish-ment to Raffles' Singapore Institution. Morrison alsopersuaded Raffles to take over the presses and typesfor 2000 Spanish dollars from public subscriptionsraised for the Singapore Institution. Milton reluctant-ly parted with his investments. The printer, Samuel

16

Roberts, became the Institution's printer. Miltonhowever was given charge of the press.

The press was busy printing government regu-lations, missionary works and engaged in commercialprinting. The imprint that appeared on the worksprinted at the press bore the names 'Institution Press'and 'Mission Press'. Milton resigned from the LMS in1825. Thomsen continued to supervise the press untilhis own resignation from the LMS in 1834. Prior tohis resignation in May 1834 he offered the press forsale. The offer was taken by the American Board ofCommissioners for Foreign Missions who establisheda station at Singapore in July of the same year.21

Alfred North (1807-1869), was a printer by tradein New York. He was attracted to missionary workand after ordination came to Singapore in February1836 to work in the printing establishment of theAmerican Board of Commissioners for ForeignMissions. He remained in Singapore until theAmerican Board moved to China in 1843. North wentto Madura where he taught in a small mission school.He returned to America in 1847.22

When the Americans left Singapore in 1843, theypresented their press and equipment to the mission-aries of the LMS who toiled in Singapore until theirown departure to Hong Kong in 1846. The subse-quent story of missionary printing in Singapore isanother chapter in the history of printing.

From the above chronology we see four phases ofthe press from its establishment in 1818 until theclose of the LMS in 1846. Thomsen printed on hisown from his arrival in May 1822. Milton broughtprinting equipment from Calcutta in 1823 and withina few days of their arrival they were taken over bythe Singapore Institution but remained in the handsof the missionaries. In 1834 the press passed intoAmerican hands returning to the LMS missionariesin 1843 until the departure of the latter in 1846.

The Book. It is a strange fact that this book lacks atitle page. Most of the publications from this pressthat are available have title pages which hold inform-ation on the titles of the works, the name of thepress and the years of publication. Shellabear saw acopy of this book 'without either date, imprint,or title page'. The microfilm copy of it from theLibrary of Congress too has no title page in it. It isbecause of this deficiency in the work that has ledto speculation on its date of publication by thosewho have based their editions upon it.

What reasons are there to suggest that the SejorohMelayu was not printed in 1831, but at a later date.

Walter Henry Medhurst, a missionary of the LMS,published an inventory of the Malay publicationsprinted at Singapore between 1824 and 1833, i.e.during Thomsen's service with the LMS.23 The Seja-

rah Melayu is not included in this list. If indeed theprinter was Alfred North, we must bear in mind thatNorth only arrived at Singapore in February 1836.The documents accompanying the copy of the bookto the Smithsonian Institution bear the dates 1840and 1841 as the dates of printing. On the basis ofthese factors, we can assign the date of its printing as1840 or 1841.

Every once in a while, new evidence comes tohand which prompts us to revise earlier premises. Thisis clearly noticeable in our discussion so far. Shella-

APPENDIXIt is not possible to attempt a full bibliographicaldescription of this work from the photocopy suppliedby the Penang Public Library and the microfilm copyfrom the Library of Congress. A comparative study ofboth confirms that they are copies of the sameedition. The following details are provided in orderto assist in the identification of the original editionshould one have access to an ideal copy of it.24

[Title:Editor:

Sejarah MelayuAbdullah bin Abdul KadirSingaporeThomas MacMicking of Syme & Co.for the Singapore Institution

Printing Press: Mission Press of the American Boardof Commissioners for Foreign MissionsAlfred North1840 or 18411

Place:Publisher:

Printer:Date:Pagination(in Arabicnumerals):Page size:Type page:

[1] [1]2-7 [1] [1-3J 4-368217 x 130 mmpp. [1] 2-7: 3411., 185(195} x 103mmpp.[2-31: 1511.,90x70mmp.4: 2611., 183(189} x 105mm

bear's observation that Munshi Abdullah's edition ofthe Sejarah Melayu was published several years 'sub-sequent' to 1831 has become stereotyped as '1831'in the introductions to later editions. This date toohas become a norm in biographies of Abdullah aswell as studies on Malay literature and the SejarahMelayu in particular. It is to be hoped that futurestudies will take cognizance of the fact that theprinting of Abdullah's edition of the Sejarah Meloyuin Singapore was done ten years after 1831.

p.5:pp.6-367p.368:

2311., 183(189}x 105mm2211., 185(193}x 105mm1611., 133(140} x 105mm

Typography(Jawi): Two type sizes. Small types on pp.l l]

2-7 [2-3] 4 and 1711. on p. 5;larger types for 6 II. at the bottom ofp. 5 and the rest of the book for prosewith small types for verse.

Chapter headings and the pages and lines on whichthey begin: The text of the Sejarah Melayu is in 34

chapters. Each chapter is headed bythe words AI-kesah ceritera yangfollowed by its number in words.[Chapter 1] (begins on page 5: line 18)2(28:15} 3(47:1} 4(51:21}5(56:3} 6(59:18} 7(70:9}8(79:3} 9(83:6} 10(89:20}11(93:15} 12(108:15} 13(118:18}14(144:4} 15(166:15} 16(175:11}17(190:14} 18(196:13} 19(199:18}20(202:17} 21(209:18} 22(214:10}23(222:4} 24(230:6} 25(235:16}26(241 :10} 27(272:19} 28(286:5}29(291:3} 30(311:3} 31(315:18}32(321 :4} 33(332:21} 34(356:8}

17

NOTES1. For a checklist of materials on and about the Sejarah

Melayu held in the University of Malaya Library, see'Sejarah Melayu: pameran dan senarai koleksi dalamsimpanan Perpustakaan Universiti Malaya'. KekalAbadi, jil. 1, bil. 3 (September 1982): 5-10.

2. Sedjarah Melaju: Menurut Terbitan Abdullah {ibnAbdulkadir Munsji}. Diselenggarakan kembali dan di-beri anotasi oleh T.D. Situmorang dan A. Teeuw de-ngan bantuan Amal Hamzah. Djakarta: PenerbitanDjambatan, 1952. On p. xvii, the editors state thattheir Romanization is based on a copy of Abdullah'sedition which was available in the library of theKoninklijk Bataviaasch Genootschap (the presentMuseum Nasional) in Jakarta.

3. Sejarah Metayu. Diterbitkan oleh Penerbit Djambatandan Gunung Agung menu rut naskhah2 lama yang ter-simpan di Perpustakaan Lembaga Kebudayaan Indo-nesia. Diberi anotasi oleh Aman Dato' Maju Indo.Djakarta, 1959.2 vol,

4. Hikayat Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munshi. [Sing-apore: Mission Press, 1849] p. 403. For a translationof this passage, see A.H. Hill's annotated translationThe Hikayat Abdullah. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford Uni-versity Press, 1970. p. 291.

5. This work is available at the Bodleian Library, Oxford(N.T. Malay d.3 1831). For a facsimile of the titlepage, see Ibrahim bin Ismail. Early Malay Printing inthe Straits Settlements by Missionaries of the LondonMissionary Society. MA report, University CollegeLondon,1980.p.87.

6. Letter from AI fred North dated October 1843 whichis to be found in the 1843 manuscript of the HikayatAbdullah in the Library of Congress. This letter hasbeen reproduced by C. Skinner as Appendix A in his'Transitional Malay literature: part 1 Ahmad Rijalud-din and Munshi Abdullah'. Bijdragen tot de Taal-,Land- en Volkenkunde, vol. 134, pt. 4 (1978): 466-487. For details of the Wilkes Expedition, see Tyler,D.B. 'The Wilkes Expedition: The First United StatesExploring Expedition {7838-7842}. Philadelphia:The American Philosophical Society, 1968.

7. Smithsonian Archives, Washington, D.C. Record Unit7058, National Institute, 1839-1863. Records, Box14, Folder 6.

8. Ibid.

9. Teeuw, A. 'Malay manuscripts in the Library of Con-gress'. Bijdraqen tot de Taal-, Land- en v olkenkunde,vol. 123 (1967): 517-520.

10. 'The Malay Annals or Sejarah Melayu. The earliestrecension from Ms. No. 18 of the Raffles collection, inthe Library of the Royal Asiatic Society, London.Edited by R.O. Winstedt'. [ournal of the MalayanBranch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 16, pt. 3(December 1938).

11. Sutalatus Sotatin [Sejarah Melayu}, Diselenggarakanoleh A. Samad Ahmad. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasadan Pustaka, 1979.

12. Maloy Annals. Translated from the Malay language byJohn Leyden. With an introduction by Sir Thomas

18

Stamford Raffles. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees,Orme, and Brown, 1821.

13. Datin Patricia Lim Pui Huen has traced forty manu-scripts in her 'Bibliography of Melaka studies', inMelaka: The Transformation of A Maloy Capitol c.7400-7980, ed. by Kernial Singh Sandhu and PaulWheatley. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press,1983. Vol. 2, pp. 661-663. Their repositories are:Edinburgh University Library (1); John RylandsUniversity Library, Manchester (1); Dewan Bahasa danPustaka, Kuala Lumpur (5); Koninklijk Instituut voorde Tropen, Amsterdam (1); Koninklijk Instituut voorTaal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, Leiden (2); Leiden Uni-versity Library (10); Museum Nasional, Jakarta (5);Royal Asiatic Society, London (10); National Museum,Singapore (1); School of Oriental and African StudiesLibrary, London (3); and the Leningrad Branch of theInstitute of Oriental Studies (1). We may add to thisthe manuscript in the Madras Literary Society andAuxiliary of the Royal Asiatic Society (cf. Newbold,T.J. 'Note on Malayan MSS. and Books presented tothe Society'. The Madras Journal of Literature andScience, vol. 7 (1838): 78-88; and Ibrahim bin Ismail.'Newbold's Malay manuscripts in India'. Kekal Abadi,jil. 5, bil. 1 (Mac 1986): 5-8).

14. For instance Malay 1 in the John Rylands UniversityLibrary, Manchester; Farquhar 5 and Maxwell 105 inthe Royal Asiatic Society, London; and the manu-script in the Madras Literary Society.

15. Why was the Sejarah Metoyu selected for printing?Abdullah in his long preface entitled 'These are thewords of the gentlemen of Singapore who wish tospread the knowledge of the Malay language' (Bahawaini perkataan segala tuan-tuan dalam negeri Singapurayang hendak memasyhurkan bahasa Melayu) providesthe reasons for its selection. First, that the gentlemenwho superintended the schools established in Singa-pore by Raffles for imparting instruction in the Malaylanguage and other subjects were in search of Malaybooks which were well-known and known to allMalays so that they could be taught to the childrenbecause the language in them is correct and good.Secondly, the printed book has four advantages overthe hand written book - the words are correct, thework is quick, the characters are clear and easy toread, and finally the book is cheap. The rest of thepreface expands upon the advantages of printing andthe processes involved in editing and printing thebook. As a justification for printing the SejarahMetayu, Abdullah, in anticipation of criticism againstthe choice, states his reason which is simply because ofIts language ( ... adapun sebabnya aku mengusahakandlriku mengecapkan kitab in sebab bahasanya).

16. Traill, H.F.O'B. 'The "lost" manuscript of the HikayatAbdullah 'Munshi' '. Journal of the Malaysian Branchof the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 55, pt. 2 (1982):126-134.

17. Buckley, C.B. An Anecdotal History of Old Time inSingapore. Singapore: Fraser & Neave, 1902. 2 vol.Reprinted in one volume at Kuala Lumpur by the Uni-versity of Malaya Pres in 1965.

18. Raffles, S. Memoir of the Life and Public Services 01

Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, F.R.S. & c. London: J.Murray, 1830. Appendix, p. 79.

19. Cf. fn. 8 above.

20. The summary here is based upon the following workson the history of printing: Byrd, C.K. Early Printingin the Straits Settlements, 1806-1858. Singapore:National Library, 1970; Ibrahim bin Ismail. EarlyMalay Printing in the Straits Settlements by Mission-aries of the London Missionary Society. MA report,University College London, 1980; and O'Sullivan, L.'The London Missionary Society: a written record ofmissionaries and printing presses in the Straits Settle-ments, 1815-1847'. Journal of the Malaysian Branchof the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 57, pt. 2 {1984}:61-104.

21. Haines, J.H. A History of Protestant Missions inMalaya during the N ineteenth Century, 1815-1881.Th.D. thesis, Princeton Theological Seminary, 1962.p.158.

22. The Hikayat A bduttah. An annotated translation byA.H. Hill. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press,1970. p. 19 and fn. 7 on pp. 287-288.

23. Medhurst, W.H. China: Its State and Prospects, withEspecial Reference to the Spread of the Gospel.London: J. Snow, 1842. p. 591.

24. The printing of the Sejarah Melayu must have been anexpensive enterprise considering the size of the bookof almost 375 pages in octavo. It speaks for theprinting press which must have had large founts ofJawi types of at least two sizes, a large stock of paperand the manpower to print, collate and bind thecopies. The perplexing question now seems to be whyso few copies of this book have survived. Copies areonly known to exist in Jakarta, Penang and Washing·ton. How many copies were printed? Were they gene-rally available? These questions await answers. Theauthor would be happy to hear from readers whohave had access to this book.

19

20

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Page [2] of the document to be found in the copy of Munshi Abdullah's edition of the Sejarah Melayu in theLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C.

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